Fox and Hounds Daily Says Goodbye
With this article, we end publication of Fox and Hounds Daily. It has been a satisfying 12½ year run. When we opened in May 2008, our site was designed to offer an opportunity to those who wished to engage in public debate on many issues, especially in politics and business, but found it difficult to get placed in newspaper op-ed pages.
Co-publishers Tom Ross, Bryan Merica and I have kept F&H going over this time investing our own time, funding, and staff help. Last year at this time we considered closing the site, however with an election on the horizon we decided to keep F&H going through the election year. With the election come and gone, and with no sense of additional resources, we have decided to close the site down.
Fox and Hounds will live on, at least, with my articles collected in the California State Library.
On a personal note, I have spent over 40 years in California policy and politics. There have been some incredible high moments and some difficult low points. It pains me that politics too often is a blood sport, frequently demonizing the motives of opponents and using the legal system as a weapon in public discourse. At Fox & Hounds, we tried to adhere to the practice of giving all a voice in the debate, yet keep the commentaries civil and avoided personal attacks.
F&H offered the opportunity to publish different perspectives (even ones that criticized my writings!). We had success as indicated by the Washington Post twice citing Fox and Hounds Daily one of the best California political websites and many other positive affirmations and comments received over the years.
Tom, Bryan and I want to thank our many readers and writers for being part of our journey. The publishers of Fox and Hounds Daily believe that we added value to California and its people. We hope you agree.
Business Rallying to Proposition 51
California’s housing crisis is a major reason members of the business community are supporting the state school construction bond, Proposition 51. Passing a statewide bond puts pressure on the General Fund because state general obligation bonds have first call on state funds, however dealing with housing costs is an issue that troubles advocates and analysts across the political spectrum. Prop 51 would ease the costs of home building on one hand and could also relieve local property taxes, another addition to housing costs, on the other.
Much of the conversation on Proposition 51 centers around the need for school construction money to build new schools or fix up crumbling school structures that house millions of students. State money is used to match contributions made by local taxpayers to build and repair schools. If there is not enough money to accommodate school building, school boards look for other sources of revenue. (more…)
De León as EPA Administrator?
The high likelihood of another Clinton presidency could scramble California politics. A new administration will need to be looking for new talent—Obama folks are tired, and many old Clinton hands are too old or retired for service.
That ought to bring attention to many figures in California, where two generations of politicians – one group mostly in their 50s, another rising in its late 30s and 40s – has stalled behind the ancient wall of Brown, Feinstein, and Boxer.
So steel yourself for more talk like that offered recently by Democratic strategist Chris Lehane in Politico.
Lehane “said he thinks Hillary Clinton should break with tradition and choose a mayor or other local official who has direct experience dealing with climate change to lead the EPA.” And then he named Kevin De León, the president pro tempore of California’s state Senate, as one possibility. (more…)
Will Jerry Brown Remember the 1970s?
When Jerry Brown became governor in 1974, California was in a recession. But over the next five years, the state’s recovery produced 2.1 million jobs, and Brown’s fiscal restraint created a $4 billion reserve in a general fund of $12 billion.
Unfortunately, the fiscal restraint was short-lived. Policymakers reverted to old habits, increasing spending while assuming revenues would grow forever. By 1980, state revenues grew 91 percent, but expenditures grew even faster — by 108 percent!
Revenues slowed dramatically in two economic downturns in the following years. When Brown left the governorship in 1982, California had a $1.5 billion deficit. (more…)
Tax Breaks For Olympic Medalists? No Thanks!
Last week Democrats in Sacramento killed a bill by conservative Assemblyman Brian Jones (R-Santee) that would have exempted Olympic medal winners from paying state taxes on their winnings.
The U.S. Olympic Committee gives out bonuses to medal winners — $25,000 for gold medals, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze. Your first reaction might be frustration that something to help out our athletic champions was stopped. But let me explain why it is actually good that Jones’ bill did not advance.
While I am glad Jones introduced this bill, as it draws attention to California’s absurd tax rates, we are well past the point where we simply can’t afford any more preferential treatment in our tax codes, federal and state. Period. (more…)
An Offer for the LAO’s 75th Anniversary It Won’t Want
Here’s my salute to celebrate the 75 years of the Legislative Analyst’s Office—I think it should be put in charge of ballot titles and summaries. Probably the last thing that office wants but its a sign of my respect for an office that does diligent, fair work and can avoid political questions as a non-partisan office.
Currently, the Attorney General is responsible for creating titles and summaries of ballot measures. The Attorney General is a partisan office and titles and summaries often reflect a political bent. That’s true whether the AG is a Democrat or a Republican. A most recent example, supporters of a pension reform initiative pulled back on their initiative because they claimed the title and summary was biased toward labor unions that opposed the measure. They had a point. (more…)
Memo to Prop 53 Boosters: Curt Schilling Doesn’t Play for California
Struggling to justify their claims that Proposition 53 plugs a “loophole,” proponents have launched a nationwide search for victims. This would be laughable if the consequences of fundamentally eroding local control, creating new litigation threats, and stalling needed infrastructure projects weren’t so serious.
(Prop 53 would demand a statewide vote to approve large revenue bond issues.)
Their latest gambit tries to scare voters with talk of bailouts and downgrades. Sadly for proponents, they couldn’t find any examples that remotely relate to their own measure.
This is like claiming a boxing match is fixed because the swimmer failed a drug test. (more…)